Mai
Mai is a native of the Fire Nation, a member of its nobility, and is currently travelling with Ty Lee and Shu in search of Azula. History Born into one of the most influential families of the Fire Nation, Mai has known a pampered, though rather restrictive, existence for most of her life. Her parents' insistence that she be quiet and well-behaved at all times has left her with a somewhat stunted ability to express her emotions as she has always kept them internalised. As a result, many believe that she doesn't feel much of anything, though this is far from the truth. She feels things very deeply, she just rarely expresses it. Mai's childhood in the Fire Nation was not an especially happy one. An only child until she was a teenager, she was mostly left to her own devices by her social climbing parents. It was during these extended periods of solitude that she developed her skills with knives. First attempted out of boredom she soon discovered that she possessed an aptitude with sharp, airborne objects and she quickly developed into a master with pinpoint accuracy, though she will rarely use her abilities to a lethal extent. She was educated at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls where she developed a friendship with classmates Ty Lee and Princess Azula. It was through her friendship with the latter that she met the then Prince Zuko, the first person to ever bring out true feelings in her. Though those feelings were not reciprocated at first, mostly due to the fact that she did not outwardly express them so Zuko remained oblivious, a bond between them grew as a result from the pair constantly being the targets of the pranks of the more outgoing Azula and Ty Lee. However, they were unable to continue with their deepening friendship when Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation at age thirteen. On his return after the fall of Ba Sing Se their reunion quickly budded into romance and the pair were inseparable until Zuko's defection to the Avatar's side during the failed invasion on the Day of Black Sun. His leaving her with nothing but a hastily composed letter left Mai broken-hearted, and when he was captured during an attempted breakout at the Boiling Rock, she angrily confronted him about his abandonment only to be abandoned by him again after saving his life from his increasingly unstable sister. After the war was ended with the Avatar's defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, Mai reinitiated her relationship with Zuko, though it would be several years before they made their relationship official with Zuko's proposal of marriage. Initially delighted with the prospect of marrying her first real love, their constant bickering, numerous postponements of the wedding and the heartbreak of her miscarriage of their first child had left Mai with serious doubts about the future and stability of her relationship with Zuko. Adding her fears of how oppressive her life as his Queen would be, all the trials of the past few years have left her with a serious case of cold feet, something she was very reluctant to discuss with Zuko. Her doubts became a moot point, however, when Zuko admitted to having a pre-marital affair with another woman (whom he did not name) and broke off their engagement. Unable to remain in the Fire Nation, Mai joined the crew of The Queen of the South under the assumed name of Kuroi Hakucho (Black Swan). Unfortunately, she had been followed when she left the palace. Her younger brother, Tom Tom, had stowed away on board, and his presence threatened to expose her as the Fire Nation noble that she was, potentially hazardous on a ship full of many still holding grudges against their homeland. She served onboard for several months, proving her worth to the captain, Jaim, through her knowledge of fine quality goods, allowing the crew to take only the best during their raids. For the first time in her life she felt that she could be herself and was beginning to open up to and befriend the crew until Azula, almost literally, dropped into her lap. She was shocked and enraged by the condition of her friend. The crew agreed to provide transport for the deranged princess and her travelling companion, Na, to Ba Sing Se. While en-route, Mai attempted to reach her friend that she believed still existed deep within Azula’s fractured mind. On arrival in Ba Sing Se, the crew learned of the plague threatening the city, and the world in general. Citing her knowledge of the city, Mai volunteered to travel to the middle ring to obtain some information on its symptoms and treatment. On this venture she met Zuko, learned of his impending fatherhood and revealed to him that she knew precisely who he had betrayed her with. The meeting didn’t really offer her any closure. But her next meeting did. She visited Iroh at the Jasmine Dragon in order to make arrangements to get her brother safely home, much to the boy’s disappointment. She returned to The Queen, but with Jaim now gone, the tension on board was becoming palatable, and Azula weighed heavily on her mind. When the ship reached the west coast of the Earth Kingdom, she decided to visit Ty Lee on the nearby Kyoshi Island, only to find her friend absent while the island was filled with the guests for Sokka and Suki’s wedding, including a certain couple. Strangely she found some comfort in Touda, Zuko’s long-term friend and her long-time antagonist, as well as a very empathic Avatar. She waited on Kyoshi for Ty Lee’s return, and the pair, along with Ty Lee’s fellow Kyoshi Warrior, Shu, have begun to track Azula. Not to capture her, but to help her. 'Family, Friends and Associates' Parents - Mai's parents currently reside in Omashu. Her father, once its governor when it was a Fire Nation colony, now acts as Fire Lord Zuko's ambassador and representative to the reinstated King Bumi. Her mother remains at his side. Tom Tom – Mai's much younger brother was residing in the Fire Nation capital with his sister. But since her break-up with Zuko she has made arrangements for him to return to their parents. Though Mai is fond of her brother she has always resented the fact that he was given far more freedom than she was ever allowed. Zuko – Mai's first love and ex-fiancé. Though she still loves him as much as she ever did, his confession of infidelity and breaking off of their engagement has left her broken-hearted. She wants very much to hate him but can't bring herself to do so. Ty Lee – Mai's only real friend. The two have such contrasting personalities she often wonders why they ever became friends. Over time she has come to realise that it is because they are so opposite that they balance each other out. Though still very close, they rarely see each other due to their very different lifestyles and places of residence. The Avatar and his companions – Though she is on fairly good terms with the group of friends she still feels like something of an outsider around them, perhaps because she sees them as Zuko's friends rather than her own. Touda – Zuko's best friend since childhood. The pair have always fought for Zuko's attention which has led to quite an animosity between them. There had always been some unspoken agreement between them that they will tolerate each other for Zuko's sake. But recently their relationship has changed. With Zuko no longer between them, they seemed to have reached some kind of common ground which could lead to a real friendship between the two. Azula – Mai isn't certain whether to call the former Fire Nation Princess a friend or an enemy. She still cares for her, and given the opportunity would do whatever she could to help her. But she fears that Azula would not be at all receptive to her aid. Category:Canon Characters Category:The Dawn Category:Fire Nation Category:Noblemen